Midterm elections were a rejection of President Trump, not an embrace of Democrats, political analyst says

The shockwaves from one of the most historic elections in American history are being felt from coast to coast, and could be felt for generations.

Political consultant O'Brien Murray and political analyst J.C. Polanco joined CBS News New York's Marcia Kramer on "The Point" to break down the 2026 midterm election results.

Polanco says voters were not necessarily embracing Democrats, but they were rejecting President Trump.

"The country woke up that day and said, 'We're gonna vote against MAGA. We're gonna vote against Donald Trump. We're gonna send the Republican Party a message,'" Polanco said. "It's not what a lot of Democrats are thinking ... that somehow the American public said, 'The Democratic Party is the way to go.' That's not what happened."

Some Republicans have been playing the blame game after seeing major losses across the country, including right here in the Tri-State Area.

In a post on X, New York Republican gubernatorial candidate Bruce Blakeman wrote, "Elise Stefanik is a selfish, do nothing politician that didn't lift a finger to help Republican candidates in New York this year. She had one moment of glory in what was otherwise an unremarkable career."

"I voted for Bruce and straight Republican ticket and have worked for decades helping Republicans across the state and country including him. Over the past decade, I have worked hard to campaign, support, and raise over 100M to help boost Republicans up and down the ticket across the country and the state," Stefanik responded, in part. "We will need everyone to be a constructive part of the effort to rebuild Republican support as we learn from this historic loss."

Polanco says they're blaming the wrong people.

"Elise Stefanik and Bruce Blakeman have no one else to blame but President Trump," he said. "The truth is that once President Trump embraced Mayor Mamdani, they removed the piñata and the chess piece from the Republican chess board."

So do Republicans need to distance themselves from Mr. Trump for the next two years?

"I wouldn't use the word 'distance.' I wanna say they wanna be independent," Murray said. "They're gonna wanna support him in certain things where he might veto what the Democrats are trying to do at this point."

Click here to watch the full episode of "The Point with Marcia Kramer" with Polanco and Murray.